


I Want You to Notice

by Shananigans402



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Humor, Karaoke, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:13:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24596566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shananigans402/pseuds/Shananigans402
Summary: The study group goes out to a karaoke bar. During Britta's performance, Jeff discovers some feelings he didn't know existed. Set after season 3.
Relationships: Britta Perry/Jeff Winger
Comments: 4
Kudos: 37





	I Want You to Notice

“What the hell am I doing here?” Jeff muttered as he looked around in disdain at his surroundings - the tacky neon decor, the overpriced drinks made with cheap alcohol, and worst of all, a drunk, middle-aged man on a tiny stage singing very off-key to ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’. 

“You’re here because we’re all feeling increasingly sentimental as we approach our final year together as Greendale students, so we’re all doing things that seem out of character for us. That, and because Annie was complaining about how we never went out for karaoke like she wanted to for her 21st birthday because we were all over the whole singing thing after the Christmas pageant disaster,” Abed explained before returning his gaze to the person currently occupying the stage.

Jeff rolled his eyes, “I meant that as a rhetorical question,” he replied before taking a sip of his scotch and wincing slightly at the taste. Of course a place like this didn’t stock Macallan, but for the amount he had paid for the best scotch they had, it should be more bearable than it was. Maybe he should have been more like Britta who had immediately settled for the cheapest vodka they had; he estimated that she had spent the same amount on the three drinks she’d had so far as he’d spent on his first drink. 

“Did you decide what song you want to sing next?” Troy asked Abed with an eager grin.

“That’s not fair,” Annie protested, “I was the one who wanted to sing karaoke and you two keep doing duets together. Why can’t I sing a duet with one of you?”

“Uh, I already suggested ‘Ebony and Ivory', but you said no,” Troy shot back, “Clearly you have terrible taste in music, so why would Abed and I want to duet with you?”

“My offer to sing that with you is still on the table, Troy,” Pierce announced, “Or Shirley,” he added with a hopeful look at the woman to his left who firmly shook her head.

“And my answer’s still no,” Shirley replied. 

“I just wanted a duet where I could have a female part,” Annie continued, her voice coming out with a hint of a whine as she pleaded with Troy, “I mean, you and Abed did ‘I Got You Babe’, why couldn’t I have joined in that one?”

“Your vocal range is too high to pull off Cher,” Abed answered.

“I’m just saying I want to do a song with you guys!” Annie cried out in exasperation. 

“Well, we have to pick one Abed knows,” Troy explains, “His knowledge of music is limited to songs made famous by TV shows or movies and the songs that I’ve introduced him to since we started living together.”

“What about the theme song from Friends?” Annie asked excitedly. Troy and Abed exchanged a look before nodding. Having finally decided on a song, the excited trio hurried over to place their song request. 

“You know you don’t all have to go,” Jeff called out after them, but they either didn’t hear him or they just didn’t care. “How much longer do you think I have to stay before Annie will let me leave without making those ridiculous sad Bambi eyes?”

“What’s wrong, Jeff? This place not living up to your expectations?” Britta teased with a playful smile. 

“As much as I love paying way too much for shitty scotch and having my eardrums assaulted by terrible covers of even worse songs, I think I might risk permanent hearing loss if I don’t leave soon.”

“Don’t blame a karaoke bar on your age-related hearing loss, old man,” Britta shot back. 

Jeff narrowed his eyes at his friend, even more annoyed by the proud smirk on her face over her own joke. “Now that you’re making terrible jokes, it’s definitely time to call it a night,” Jeff decided as he started to stand up.

“Just so you know, going home at 9:30 just makes you seem even older. Even Pierce is still here - and awake!” Britta pointed out.

“Of course I’m awake, I’m the life of the party,” Pierce replied, his tone slightly offended either at being called old or the assumption he would already be asleep, “You all have yet to beat my performance earlier, and good luck by the way, they call Bruce Springsteen ‘The Boss’ for a reason.”

“You know this isn’t a competition, right,” Shirley pointed out, “It’s just to have fun and sing, there are no winners or losers. Although if there was, I think we can all agree my performance of ‘I Say a Little Prayer’ would be the clear winner.”

“That does help to explain why you told that British guy to ‘suck it’ after your performance, do you think he’s Simon Cowell?” Britta asked Pierce, ignoring Shirley who had been fishing for compliments ever since she had left the stage.

“We’ll see who leaves here a winner and who leaves as losers,” Pierce retorted.

“I’ll be sorry to miss that,” Jeff responded drily, “You’ll have to fill me in - and in case it’s not clear after three years of knowing me, I really don’t care so please don’t actually bother filling me in later,” Jeff said as he started to stand up once more.

“Next up, please welcome to the stage Britta Perry!” The venue host announced to scattered applause from the crowded venue.

“Oh, I’m up!” Britta said as she finished her drink in one go before heading for the stage.

“Okay, who let Britta sign up to sing a song?” Jeff demanded, although he was already sitting back in his chair to watch what was sure to be a trainwreck. “Didn’t we all suffer enough after her performance in the pageant last year?”

“Be nice, Jeffrey,” Shirley reprimanded, “She may not have as nice a voice as Annie, or strong vocals like me, but if she wants to sing, who are we to judge?”

Jeff smirked at the comment as it wasn’t in anyway standing up for Britta’s vocal talent, which was practically nonexistent. 

“Who let Britta sign up?” Troy asked as he, Abed, and Annie rejoined the group.

“That’s what I asked!” Jeff said with a grin as he took a small sip of his drink; he really didn’t want to nurse the foul drink, but he also didn’t want to fork over more money for another. 

The music started up and the group turned their attention to the stage, waiting to see what was about to happen.

“What is this song?” Annie asked as the backing track started with a single acoustic guitar.

Jeff vaguely recognized it but couldn’t put a name to the song, “It’s that one…I know I know it,” he said as he furrowed his brow and glanced at the others. Abed and Troy looked as confused as Annie, but he wasn’t surprised because he knew it was from the early 90’s and they were too young to have heard it on the radio. “Shirley, help me out,” he said as he glanced over, “It was that one that was on all those alt rock stations.”

“Don’t look at me,” Shirley protested, “I’m sure anything Britta’s performing isn’t something that I know or approve of.”

Jeff sighed in frustration and cast his gaze over to Pierce, not expecting much help, but he was out of other options.

“Isn’t this that lesbian song?” Pierce asked, to which the others unanimously rolled their eyes and redirected their attention to the stage.

The first verse started and Jeff finally placed it. “It’s that dumb song ‘What’s Up’, he announced to the table, “By the band with an even dumber name, 4 Non Blondes or something lame like that.”

“Exactly, the lesbian group,” Pierce said with an exasperated wave of his hands.

Jeff realized that many, if not all, of the band members were in fact lesbians. He glanced over in surprise at Pierce for actually having recognized the song and band.

Troy chuckled at the name, “4 Non Blondes? Britta, you’re blonde, dummy!” He called out, causing the others at the table to laugh. 

“Yeah, and you’re not 25,” Annie chimed in, referencing the first lyric of the song. 

Jeff couldn’t help the smile still on his face, pleased he’d identified the song. He watched as Britta ignored Troy and Annie’s heckling, more than used to being the butt of her friends jokes. She continued to sing the opening verse and it was clear to everyone that this had been one of Britta’s early feminist anthems back in the day from the way she was trying to convey angst through her weak vocals. 

When she sang the lyric with the reference to ‘brotherhood of man’, the table let out a collective groan, because of course Britta would bring down a fun night by trying to make this serious and convey some sort of message. Jeff starting booing, causing the others at the table to join in to tease their friend.

Britta glanced over at the table as she continued singing, moving into the pre-chorus of the song, before letting her gaze sweep over the crowd.

In that brief glance, barely longer than a second or two, Jeff had seen a rare look of vulnerability and hurt in Britta’s expression. But it was gone by the time she turned her gaze to the audience and ever so slightly straightened her posture and continue singing with a renewed resolve.

As she reached the chorus, Jeff and the others tried to prepare their ears for what was sure to be loud and very off-key, and even though it was very much those things, it was surprisingly good simply due to the emotion Britta poured into the lyrics. A chorus of cheers broke out from the audience, though Jeff wasn’t entirely sure whether it was in reaction to her singing or simply from people trying to support her after she’d been booed by her friends. 

“Oh I recognize this song now,” Annie said as she swayed along to the chorus and Troy nodded in agreement. 

“A techno version of this song is in that YouTube video,” Abed added, “It’s become a popular meme.”

Jeff tuned out the younger group members discussing how they knew this song as he focused his attention on Britta who was in the middle of the second verse.

It was clear Britta didn’t have the vocal range or ability the song required, but she had the heart, which she poured into the lyrics so the audience didn’t seem to mind. It was so undeniably Britta to do something that should by all means be awful, yet somehow find a way to reclaim it and make it her own in a uniquely wonderful way.

As Jeff continued to watch her performance, with the audience and the other group members cheering her on, he continued to feel bad about how they had all been so cruel and taunting to start off. Ridiculing and piling on Britta had become so much a part of their group dynamic that he didn’t really stop to realize that they might be causing serious damage to her self-esteem. After all, she almost always had a quick retort to send back and never seemed affected by their teasing for long. Maybe now it was getting to be too much though, or perhaps, he’d just been oblivious to the ways their taunts had really affected her. Whatever was behind that glimpse of vulnerability he had witnessed, it was making him feel terrible. 

When she finished her song, Jeff joined the others in their applause before standing up. “I’m getting another drink,” he explained to Abed, who cast a curious look towards him as he stood up. 

Jeff made his way back to the bar and ordered another scotch, a slightly cheaper one this time as he didn’t intend to even try to savor this one. As he waited for his drink, Jeff turned and watched as Britta rejoined the others at the table, a smile on her face as the others greeted her with enthusiasm. 

This was their pattern, he supposed. Britta would do or say something that on the surface sounded ridiculous, they would mercilessly tease her, she would get defensive, and then go out and somehow pull it off - or do something that would distract them from their teasing, and they’d all rally around her and things would be all smiles and happiness once more. They’d been through variations of this pattern for three years, so he wasn’t sure why this time was affecting him so much. 

His drink was placed on the bar and he handed his card over before picking up his glass and taking a long sip, barely even registering the taste of the terrible alcohol as his mind raced to find an explanation. Obviously he cared about Britta, she was one of his closest friends, so perhaps seeing her upset by their teasing had simply just made him feel guilty.

However, he knew that wasn’t the full explanation. They made fun of each other all the time, and sure, sometimes he would feel guilty when they took it too far. But it had never made him feel the way he was now - so unsettled and shaken as if there was something he just couldn’t comprehend about the situation. 

He felt bad that he had upset Britta, sure, but it was more than that. It was the realization that he had caused her pain that had made him instantly want to make it better. That was something new, he didn’t like upsetting his friends, but he normally hadn’t been filled with this overwhelming urge to protect them and want to do anything to keep them from being sad.

He fixed his gaze on Britta, wondering when he started feeling such a strong desire to keep her happy. He thought back to her performance and the look of joy on her face as she sang the first chorus and the audience had responded in cheers. There was some feeling similar to pride that had bubbled up in him, despite the overwhelming guilt. He had felt happy for Britta because she was happy, because she had managed to get a crowded room full of people cheering for her despite her lack of vocal prowess. 

A smile lingered on his lips as he thought back to how happy she had looked up there and how she had channeled that into singing even more passionately. Since when had her vehement displays of passion been something that amused rather than annoyed him? Yet, he distinctly recalled the feeling of pride as he watched her sing to an adoring audience and Britta, his Britta, had looked happier than he’d seen her in months.

He nearly spit out a mouthful of scotch as he realized he’d mentally referred to her as ‘his Britta’ and his face contorted with panic as he quickly tore his gaze from her and spun back around to face the bar. There was no way that the unsettled and uncomfortable feeling inside him was because he had feelings for Britta, right? They’d been through this all before; hell, they’d even been friends with benefits for a year and it hadn’t escalated into more. So why now was he thinking of her as his, something she would hate by the way, and getting all flustered at the thought of feeling something more than platonic friendship for her?

He quickly finished the rest of his drink and shook his head as the alcohol seemed to rush straight to his brain. Britta was…Britta. And yes, she was attractive and witty and certainly at times she could be confident and fun and all the other qualities he looked for in a woman. But she was also maddeningly stubborn and got involved in way too many arguments and causes that don’t matter and she could be so ridiculous.

It didn’t seem to matter how many reasons he tried to come up with to disprove the stupid little voice in his head telling him that he had feelings for Britta, every reason he came up with was pretty quickly dismissed with a thought of ‘it’s not that bad’ or ‘that’s actually kinda cute’. Jeff shook his head trying to think clearly, but the alcohol in his system only seemed to be making his thoughts and feelings stronger. He liked Britta, perhaps an L word even stronger than like. And he and the others had really upset her only a matter of minutes ago and now he was hiding out at the bar to avoid the realization that he was feeling shitty because he had hurt the woman he definitely had feelings for. 

The busy bartender finally returned with his card and the bill, but Jeff waved the slip of paper away, “I’ll take another,” he said as he held up his empty glass, “And a vodka neat, four olives…good vodka though, at least, as good as you have in this place.” 

The bartender nodded and crumpled the bill before setting to work getting the new drinks ready.

Jeff glanced over his shoulder at Britta, really considering the realization he had stumbled upon. He noticed his heart rate picked up as he watched her throw her head back and laugh at something going on at the table.

As soon as the new drinks were placed before him along with his new check, Jeff quickly signed and shoved his card back in his pocket before picking up the glasses and making his way back toward the table.

“You did a surprisingly good job up there,” Jeff announced as he set the vodka in front of Britta, who glanced up at him with a pleased smile.

“Thanks,” she replied as she took the glass and lifted it in his direction in a silent cheers before taking a sip.

Jeff settled back into his chair, relieved she didn’t seem to be harboring any ill will toward the group for their initial heckling. Despite that comforting realization, he noticed he still felt lingering guilt as he thought back to the vulnerable look he had seen in her eyes. He took a sip of his own drink, hoping that would stop the pained look from haunting him. 

“What is this? You get a drink for her but not the rest of us? That’s a cheap move if I’ve ever seen one,” Pierce complained.

Jeff rolled his eyes, knowing that out of everyone at that table, Pierce was the one who definitely didn’t need someone else to buy him a drink. “She deserved it,” he said by way of explanation, “She kinda crushed that song…even after we were being jerks.”

The others gave small nods of agreement as they avoided Britta’s gaze, clearly feeling their own guilt, with the exception of Abed, who hadn’t joined in the heckling and was now observing Jeff and Britta with a slight furrow in his brow.

“It’s cool, you weren’t any worse than usual,” Britta shrugged off the comment as she took another sip of her drink.

“I’m really impressed you even got up there in the first place,” Annie said with a smile, “That’s a hard song to do and you really went for it, even with your voice. I wish I had your confidence.”

“Thanks Annie,” Britta replied hesitantly, as if unsure if that was a compliment or not.

Gears began turning in Jeff’s head; there were few things that could display vulnerability as performing in front of a group full of strangers and judgmental friends. He had been set on not singing anything tonight, no matter how much the others may complain or beg, but now it seemed like just the thing that could make it up to Britta…and maybe also clue her in on the massive realization he’d made just a matter of minutes ago at the bar. 

“I’ll be right back,” Jeff said as he stood up.

“But you just got back,” Shirley pointed out.

Abed looked at Jeff and cocked his head to the side, “Are you going to the bathroom?”

“What? No,” Jeff said as he started to walk away.

“You better be getting the rest of us drinks!” Pierce called out after him.

Jeff ignored Pierce as he began making his way to the host, grabbing a song list from a table as he passed. The host was engaged in a discussion with a drunk patron as he approached, but he welcomed the opportunity to start flipping through his song options.

“What are you doing?” 

Jeff glanced up in surprise to see Abed watching him with a confused expression. He pushed aside the immediate surge of annoyance he felt at being followed by a member of their co-dependent friend group, but decided that if he had to be cornered by any of the other six, he was glad it was Abed. “What does it look like I’m doing?” He replied as he held up the song list.

“It looks like you’re picking a song, which is confusing because at the start of the night you said you wouldn’t be singing anything, so we shouldn’t waste our time even trying to get you to sing.”

“Yeah, well, sometimes people change their mind,” Jeff countered as his gaze drifted over Abed’s shoulder to their table where he briefly focused on the back of a blonde head of hair before he forced his attention to return to the list.

Abed was quiet for a moment, which Jeff welcomed as it allowed him to actually focus on the task at hand. 

“Are you and Britta sleeping together again?”

“What?” Jeff asked as his gaze snapped up to meet Abed’s curious expression. “No, we’re not. Why would you ask that?”

“Because you’re acting weird around her tonight. And you bought her a drink after her performance, which you didn’t do for anyone else. I thought you might be doing that to get her to sleep with you,” Abed explained.

Jeff knew he shouldn’t be surprised that Abed had picked up on his unusual behavior because Abed noticed everything. However, due to his current tipsy-bordering-on-drunk state, he wasn’t at all displeased by the assessment. “No, we’re not sleeping together, though maybe we will be again soon…”

“So you did buy her a drink to try and have sex with her,” Abed stated as his confused expression remained firmly in place.

“I’m not trying to sleep with Britta, I mean, I’m not _not_ trying to sleep with her,” Jeff clarified before shaking his head, “Look, I had this…realization earlier, and I think I might have feelings for her.”

“What kind of feelings?”

“What do you mean, what kind of feelings? Real feelings, like romantic feelings and stuff,” Jeff explained with a dismissive wave of his hand.

“You love her?” Abed asked, tilting his head to one side as if trying to process that piece of information.

“Shh, keep it down,” Jeff said as he cast a worried glance over at their table, which was way too far away to be within hearing distance, but he still panicked after hearing the words out loud. 

“Do you not want her to know?”

Jeff sighed and ran a hand through his hair, “I don’t know exactly what it is yet, so I’m not rushing to label it,” he explained, “But since I have these feelings or whatever, I’ve had a lot of guilt over how we treated her earlier and I wanted to do something to even the score or whatever. Kind of like when she left me that drunk voicemail and you helped me do the same in order to make things right again.”

“But I only helped you do that because there was a shift in the balance of power. There’s no power shift now, she isn’t even upset over what happened earlier,” Abed countered.

“Maybe she doesn’t seem upset, but trust me, she looked really hurt and it made me feel bad and I just want to do something nice,” Jeff replied with a huff. His eyes dropped back to the song list until he found the one he’d been secretly searching for and his face lit up, “And I know just how to do it.”

Abed followed Jeff as he placed his song request with the host. Before they could rejoin the group, Abed put a hand on Jeff’s arm to stop him.

“Singing that song will affect the group dynamic. Even though I consider Britta to be a wild card, I can’t imagine a scenario where this won’t cause a big reaction from her, although what the reaction will be is a mystery to me due to her unpredictability.”

“I’m just singing it as a way to make things up to her…and if she happens to like it and wants to invite me back to her place, then so be it,” Jeff said with a smug smile.

“So you are doing this just to have sex with her,” Abed concluded.

“I’ve already been over this with you, I’m not explaining it again,” Jeff warned, “I just want to make things up to her and if sex is a side benefit, that just makes it even better.”

“For the record, I think this is a really terrible idea. I wish you could have given me a few daysin the dreamatorium to run the scenarios of how this will turn out.”

“Sorry Abed, guess we’ll just have to see how this one plays out in real time,” Jeff said as he made his way back to the table.

He sat and sipped his drink through the next several performances, waiting for his name to be called. Abed, Annie, and Troy were called up and began to sing along to ‘I’ll Be There for You’, with many audience members joining in for the chorus. The trio on stage seemed excited by the reaction and enthusiastic cheers they received as they rejoined their friends at the table. 

The group ordered another round of drinks and broke into smaller groups of conversation. Jeff unfortunately got stuck talking with Pierce as he found himself too nervous to talk with Britta and Shirley out of fear he would accidentally let something slip before his performance.

“Next up, Jeff Winger,” the host announced. 

Jeff felt six pairs of eyes turn to him, all wearing matching expressions of shock, except for Abed, who was looking at him with a neutral expression with a hint of apprehension. 

“Jeff, you’re singing?” Shirley asked in surprise. 

“Seems that way, doesn't it,” Jeff replied as he got up and walked to the stage. There wasn’t a need for some big explanation before he started singing, he knew the song itself would have enough of an impact on the person it was intended for. Sure enough, as soon as the backing music started, he saw Britta’s eyes widen and her mouth open slightly. A small smile played on his lips before he started singing the first verse of Radiohead’s ‘Creep’. 

This wasn’t his ideal karaoke song by any means, but he knew the song would have an effect on Britta given that it was by the band she’d dropped out of high school to follow.He was familiar with the song, of course, he’d been alive when it came out in the early 90’s and he’d heard it more than enough during the year he’d been hooking up with Britta.

Although he was eagerly drinking in the positive reaction from the song as he sang, he made sure to focus his attention on Britta as much as possible so she would know there was a definite reason he had chosen to sing this song. Every time he sang the lyric ‘You’re so fucking special’, he noticed her slightly flustered reaction as she would duck her head before glancing back up with a hopeful expression and he felt his heart clench. Clearly they had been cruel to her for far too long if she didn’t even realize how wonderful she was. He was determined that things would be different this time - sure, they would continue to tease each other and banter, but he would be sure to point out all the ways in which she made the world, and his life, better.

He continued singing, a bit surprised by how little he actually needed to refer to the lyrics scrolling on the screen. As the song drew to a close, Britta was still watching him and didn’t seem upset, which was a good sign. 

The audience applauded him as he left the stage and he took a moment to flash a winning smile around the room before making his way to the table. Pierce was either asleep or pretending to be asleep, Abed called his performance cool even though he still seemed upset over Jeff’s actions, Shirley greeted him with a smile and words of praise, and Annie and Troy also praised the performance, though both seemed slightly jealous as they glanced between Jeff and Britta. Jeff turned his attention to the blonde who was looking at him with a smile and an expression that read as lustful, surprised, and flattered.

“Do you want to talk?” He asked, getting an immediate nod from Britta who stood up and began to follow him away from the others.

“Oh, sorry I must have nodded off during that boring song…wait, where did he go?” Pierce asked and Jeff merely shook his head at the predictable reaction as he continued to lead Britta someplace where they could talk away from the watchful eyes of their friends.

“So what was that about?” Britta asked, as soon as they were tucked away in the slightly quieter hallway leading to the bathrooms. 

Jeff noticed that her expression was unchanged and he was relieved that she didn’t seem upset or angry, simply confused and pleasantly surprised. Although he was tempted to rely on his default of acting oblivious and steering the conversation far away from anything related to feelings, he knew that would defeat the entire purpose of his gesture. He took a deep breath before meeting her gaze, “I guess it was kind of an apology,” he started, “We were total jags to you when you were singing and you didn’t deserve it.”

“You guys are always jags,” Britta pointed out with a smirk, “That has rarely prompted you to apologize before, and it certainly hasn’t ever made you sing Radiohead.”

Jeff nodded, “Yeah, well, after your performance I started thinking about why seeing you upset affected me so much. And I realized that I maybe kind of like you, at least a little bit anyway.” He immediately cursed himself for how idiotic he sounded and wished he hadn’t added so many fillers and qualifiers to downplay the sentiment of what he was trying to express.

Nevertheless, what he had admitted was big for him and Britta seemed to realize that as her eyes widened, “You like me?”

“I think so?” Jeff responded, his expression contorting into one of his confusion before he shook his head and firmed up his resolve, “I mean, yes…I like you, Britta.”

“Wow, Jeff, I…I don’t know what to say to that,” Britta admitted as she glanced down.

Jeff felt his heart rate pick up as panic set in, he hadn’t thought about the possibility of her rejecting him. “That’s cool, yeah, I mean, I was kidding,” he said with a forced laugh, “You know what it is, I actually had a lot to drink and thought it would be pretty funny to sing that song to mess with you.”

A small smile played on Britta’s lips as she met his gaze, clearly reading right through his act. “Relax, I’m not turning you down,” she replied, “It’s just surprising. I mean, we came out here to sing karaoke, the last thing I expected was for you to sing to me and finally get in touch with your emotions after decades of keeping them locked up behind your wall of sarcasm and emotional unavailability.”

“Yes, this is exactly how I expected this conversation to go,” Jeff replied drily, “Look, it’s fine if you don’t feel the same. Just don’t tell the others about this, okay?” He made a move to leave, only to be stopped by a hand on his arm.

“Wait,” Britta called out, waiting until Jeff turned back to face her. She paused, seemingly unsure what to say. After an agonizingly long moment of complete silence, he began to turn to leave once more, but she stopped him again, “I like you too,” she blurted out, causing him to turn fully back around and wait for more.

“There’s always been something between us,” Britta continued, “But neither one of us have ever stopped to really think about what that was.”

Jeff nodded along to her assessment, “Until tonight anyway.”

“Until tonight,” Britta confirmed, a teasing smile making its way onto her face, “When you decided to serenade me with Radiohead.”

“It wasn’t a serenade,” Jeff protested, “I don’t do that mushy crap.”

“I don’t know, Winger, singing a song that you intended just for me. That sounds like a serenade to me.”

Jeff felt his defensive side flare up before he focused on the adorable playful look on her face, which caused his frustration to melt away, “So are we doing this then?”

“Depends what you mean by ‘this’,” Britta replied, the amused glint in her eye challenging him to say what he wanted.

Jeff sighed, knowing that Britta knew what he meant, yet she was making him spell it out, “Are we together?”

He noticed a flash of uncertainty in her eyes and he knew it was the same feeling of discomfort he typically felt at labeling a relationship.

“Are you saying you want me to be your girlfriend?” Britta asked, the uncertainty in her expression fading into something that looked almost hopeful. 

“Yeah, I think I am,” he said, feeling his heart rate pick up, but this time not due to panic, “So what do you say? Do you want me to be your boyfriend?”

Britta smiled softly and nodded, “Yeah, I think I do.”

Jeff couldn’t help the relieved grin that spread across his face before he leaned in to close the distance between them, capturing her lips with his. Feeling her lips move against his caused a warmth to spread inside him - as many times as he had kissed Britta, this time felt different, but in the best possible way. It felt right.

Britta slipped her arms around his neck as he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. Just as he was about to deepen the kiss, a drunken man stumbled out of the bathroom, letting out a loud whistle at the pair making out in the hallway.

“Do you wanna take this somewhere else?” Jeff asked, barely registering her enthusiastic nod before taking Britta’s hand to lead her away from their current unsavory location.

On their way to the front door, Jeff glanced over at their table and caught Abed’s eye, giving him a slight nod. He knew that between the smile on his face, Britta’s hand clasped securely in his, and the way they were hastily making their way toward the exit, Abed would put the pieces together and either tell the group what was happening, or at least notify the others of their departure. 

As he led Britta towards his car, his brain sifted through the events of the evening. He was unable to believe how much had happened over the course of a couple hours. He let out a small chuckle as he thought back to the conversation they’d had earlier, “I guess Pierce was right about something, some of us are walking away winners tonight.”

“Ugh, is it too late to change my mind about this whole dating thing?” 

“Shut up,” Jeff shot back, “I knew it was wrong as soon as I started by saying Pierce was right.”

Britta laughed, “Alright, I’ll give you a second chance.”

They reached his car and Jeff leaned Britta against the passenger side as he moved closer to give her a long, passionate kiss. He pulled back with a smirk as he took in her flushed face, closed eyes, and heaving chest as she struggled to catch her breath.

“Yeah, I think I have way more than two chances,” he assessed with a smug smile.

Britta’s eyes opened as she realized Jeff had been proving a point, “Yeah, well you’ll need it. I predict you’ll be terrible at this whole relationship thing.”

“Not as bad as you,” Jeff protested.

Britta opened her mouth to argue but then shrugged, “You have a point.”

Jeff quirked an eyebrow, “Did you just agree with me?”

“Yep,” Britta confirmed, “Maybe this whole dating thing is good for us.”

“Or maybe you’re just agreeable because we’re both more than ready to get out of here and go back to my place.”

Britta gave a coy smile that suggested he was spot on with his interpretation. Jeff grinned and made a move to get the passenger door before thinking better of the gesture, knowing Britta would hate the chivalrous act and complain that she was perfectly capable of opening her own door. He walked around the car to get behind the wheel, noticing Britta seemed genuinely happy, whether that was because she caught the way he stopped himself from opening her door out of respect for her values or because she was simply excited about the events of the night…or where the night was headed. 

“I think this actually might work,” Jeff opined as he observed the woman beside him.

The smile he received indicated that she felt the same and Jeff returned the smile before settling back into his seat. As he drove off in the direction of his apartment, he felt Britta’s hand rest on his leg. Just like the kiss they’d shared in the karaoke bar, Jeff was struck by how right it felt. This thing between him and Britta was just _right._ A content smile formed on his face as the last remnants of fear and doubt faded away.


End file.
